302 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



curves, which are analogous to ir, have centfeâ 

 innumerable contained in their feveral axes, from 

 which they remove farther and farther, forming 

 fomething like funnels. 



On the fuppofition of this afcending generation 

 of forms, from the line, through the triangle, up 

 to the circle ; and their defcending generation, 

 from the circle, through the ellipfe, to the para- 

 bola, I deduce, from thefe five elementary forms, 

 all the forms of Nature ; as, with the five primordial 

 colours I compofe all the poffible (hades of colour. 



The line prefents the flendereft form, the circle 

 prefents the fulleft, and the parabola the mod 

 obliquely fluted. In this progreffion it may be 

 remarked, that the circle, which occupies the 

 middle between thefe two extremes, is the moft 

 beautiful of all the elementary forms, as red is 

 the mod beautiful of all the primordial colours. 

 I prefume not to fay, with certain ancient Philo- 

 fophers, that this form muft be the moft beautiful, 

 becaufe it is the figure of the Srars, which, how- 

 ever, would be no fuch contemptible reafon ; but, 

 to employ only the teftimony of our fenfes, it is 

 the moft grateful to both the eye and the touch ; 

 it is, likewife, the moft fufceptible of motion ; 

 finally, what is no mean authority in the cafe of 

 natural truths, it is confidered as the moft con- 

 formable 



